This invention relates to an apparatus and process for recurving the cornea of an eye.
It has previously been proposed to recurve the cornea of an eye by a surgical procedure (radial keratotomy) in which spoke-like incisions are made in the cornea using microsurgery techniques. However, this procedure is difficult to control precisely.
It has also previously been proposed to utilize light energy (transmitted through the iris in some instances) to effect photocoagulation in the treatment of surface, skin, and conjunctival lesions, anterior chamber and iris lesions, and retinochoroidal diseases, as well as retinal tears. In this regard it has been reported that problems encountered with inadvertent overheating of the anterior segment secondary to photocoagulation include serofibrinous iritis, posterior and anterior synechias, corneal endothelial edema, swelling of the corneal stroma, epithelial corneal edema, secondary glaucoma, iris atrophy, corneal dystrophy, and progressive cataract. It has also been stated that sufficient absorption of light energy by the iris may lead to iris atrophy, irregularity of the pupil, and other symptons, that excessive photocoagulation may cause tissue shrinkage leading to traction or displacement of tissues, and that "Without direct treatment to the cornea, corneal leukomas, which are usually transient, and corneal neovascularization rarely have been reported with an inadequately dilated pupil." (See "Clinical Ophthalmology," Vol. 5, Chap. 9, pp. 8 and 9, published 1976 by Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc., Hagerstown Md.)